Chinese-Made Offshore Fish Farm Put into Operation in Norway

The world’s first semi-submersible aquaculture support vessel, which was built by the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co, has been put into operation in the Norwegian Sea area of Frohavet. Ocean Farm 1, the world’s first deep-sea fish farm, incorporating the most advanced and sustainable technology in fish breeding, was delivered in June, according to the Xinhua News Agency…Full Article: The Global Times Dec 2017

In June 2017, Hubei Province’s Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry manufactured and delivered an automated offshore fishery to SalMar ASA, a Norwegian fish farming company. The Chinese company delivered the offshore fishery to Qingdao, Shandong Province, where the Norwegian company has a dock. The structure is a semi-submerged offshore fishery that weighs 7,700 MTs that can farm up to 1.5 million fish.

By 2025 (stated in May 2017), the Norwegian Seafood Council hopes that Chinese consumption of Norwegian salmon and Norwegian artic cod will reach 156,000 MTs, and 40,000 MTs, respectively. The council also plans to promote other seafood products including mackerel, lumpfish, halibut, king crab, snow crab. sea cucumber, blue mussels, and cold water shrimp. During this month, Norway and China signed a protocol agreement on salmon.

In early April 2017, Norway’s Prime Minister visited China and led a business delegation to restore economic/trade relations. A Portfolio Manager from Holberg Triton, an equity fund based in Bergen (southern Norway), was part of the business delegation and sought to promote Norwegian salmon in the Chinese market. Both countries also signed a MoU about food trade.

From mid-2014 to March 2015, according to China, 10 shipments of Norwegian salmon originating from three counties (Sor-Trondelag, Troms and Nordland) were found to contain viruses that can cause infectious salmon anaemia (ISA). As of 17 March 2015, the latest detection occurred on 27 February 2015. At the time, it was noted that whole salmon from Norway’s other 16 counties (19 total) would be allowed to enter China starting on 18 April 2015, but only if they are accompanied with sanitary/safety certificates (i.e. free of ISA viruses or salmonid alphaviruses – SAVs).

In September 2014, China temporarily banned the importation of whole Norwegian salmon reportedly due to salmon anaemia and its viral variants. Norwegian processed salmon (i.e. no heads, gills, and entrails) was still allowed into China.

In January 2011, China agreed to make Scotland its preferred salmon supplier. This occurred shortly after the the Oslo-based Nobel organization awarded the 2010 Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, an imprisoned Chinese dissident.

Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry is a shipbuilding company whose product line includes a wide variety of vessels including yachts, tug boats, transport vessels, submarines, semi-submerged offshore fisheries, and more.